Knock ‘Em Out

12/02/2022

By: Jeff Yoder

Happy Friday

It’s Championship Weekend in college football with five huge matchups set to determine the playoff. We’re rolling into Week 13 in the NFL, and the World Cup Knockout Stage is almost set. The Holiday sports season continues…

Letter Rip!

WORLD CUP

Wrapping Up the Group Stage

Photo: Matthias Hangst / Getty Images

Belgium & Germany Bounced From World Cup; Japan, Spain, Croatia & Morocco Join the Knockouts

Two European juggernauts came crumbling down Thursday in Qatar in a wild day of group-stage action at the World Cup. Both Belgium and Germany were eliminated from Groups E and F despite a German win and a Belgium draw. Japan took the top spot in Group E while Spain held on to advance past Germany on the tiebreaker goal differential (by one). In Group F, Morocco’s Cinderella story continued with a win over Canada that allowed Croatia to claim the second spot by holding Belgium to a draw. Germany and Belgium, are out. The final two spots in the Round of 16 will be claimed today before the Knockout Stage begins Saturday.

World Cup Highlights

Group E: Japan def. Spain (2-1)

Group E: Germany def. Costa Rica (4-2)

Group F: Morocco def. Canada (2-1)

Group F: Croatia draw Belgium (0-0)

Teams Advanced (14): Japan, Spain, Croatia, Morocco, Argentina, Poland, Australia, USA, England, Senegal, Netherlands, France, Brazil & Portugal

Today’s Schedule

Group H: South Korea vs. Portugal (10:00 am ET)
Group H: Ghana vs. Uruguay (10:00 am ET)

Group G: Serbia vs. Switzerland (2:00 pm ET)

Group G: Cameroon vs. Brazil (2:00 pm ET)

Portugal and Brazil have already won Groups G and H, but two spots are still up for grabs.

Additional Storylines

ESPN: Germany Captain Thomas Muller Calls World Cup Exit ‘Absolute Catastrophe’

Yahoo! Sports: Morocco Wins Group F, Keeps Canada Pointless in World Cup

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NFL

Thrills for the Bills

Photo: Billie Weiss / Getty Images

Bills Beat Down Patriots (24-10) on Thursday Night Football for 3rd Straight Win

The Bills remain on top of the AFC East after a divisional showdown on Thursday Night Football last night in Foxborough. Buffalo handled New England (24-10) on a cold night in the northeast. QB Josh Allen tossed a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter on back-to-back drives to give the Bills a 17-7 advantage that was never in doubt. RB Devin Singletary punched in an insurance touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Bills are now 9-3 atop the loaded AFC East Riding a three-game win streak, and all three losses have come by just eight total points. There are still Super Bowl expectations in Buffalo.

Watch: Bills Beat Patriots on TNF (24-10)

QB Comparison

J. Allen (BUF): 22/33, 223 yards, 2 TDs

M. Jones (NE): 22/36, 195 yards, 1 TD

AFC East Standings

Bills (9-3)

Dolphins (8-3)

Jets (7-4)

Patriots (6-6)

Additional Storylines

CBS Sports: Allen, Bills Cruise Past Pats to Reclaim AFC East Lead

Yahoo! Sports: Patriots CB Marcus Jones Scores TD on 1st Ever Offensive Play

NFL: What We Learned From Bills’ Win Over Patriots on Thursday Night Football

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THE HIGHLIGHTS

NBA: Pistons Pester Mavs (131-125, OT)
The lone NBA game of the night went to overtime before the Pistons upended the Mavericks (131-125, OT). Bojan Bogdanovic dropped 30 points with five 3s to help Detroit end a three-game skid.

NHL: Robertson’s Hat Trick Fuels Stars

The Stars punished the Ducks with a shutout (5-0) last night thanks to Jason Robertson’s hat trick. Robertson extended his point streak to 17 games, and he leads the league in goals (22).

NCAA Basketball (Men)

#2 Texas def. #7 Creighton (72-67)

Utah def. #4 Arizona (81-66)

#8 UConn def. Oklahoma State (74-64)

NCAA Basketball (Women)

#5 Indiana def. #6 North Carolina (87-63)

#20 Maryland def. #7 Notre Dame (74-72)

*Maryland’s Diamond Miller Hits Game-Winner

#12 NC State def. #10 Iowa (94-81)

*Iowa’s Caitlin Clark Dropped 45 Points in Iowa’s Loss

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WEEKEND SCHEDULE